Nutcracker



A. C. GUHL.

NUTCRACKER.

APPLICATION man was. 1921;

1,415,338. Patented May 9, 1922.

AUGUST C GUI-IL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 9, 1922.

Application filed August 8, 1921. Serial No. 490,450.

To all u; ham it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUeUsr citizen of the United States, Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Nutcrackers, of which the following is a specification, reierence being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

he purpose of this invention is to provide an improved construction of a hand operated nut cracker of relatively high crushing power in proportionto its size, and adapted to be economically manufactured. It consists in the elements and features or construction shown and described, as indicated in the claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of a nut cracker embodying this invention.

Figure 2 is a section at the line, 2-2, on Figure 1. j

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the main or fixed handle member with its jaw.

Figure 4 is a perspective view or the lever handle.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a sliding j aw member mounted in the fixed handle member.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a third jaw member which is ivoted to the second jaw member for swinging relatively thereto in the crushing operation.

Figure 7 is a section at the Figure 3.

In the drawings, A is the main or fixed handle member. B is a fixed aw membe mounted thereon at the end opposite the handle. C is a lever handle member n11- crumed upon the D is a sliding jaw member pivotally connected at (Z with the lever handle member, C, and mounted for sliding relatively to the fixed handle member in the closing together of the handles.v E is a third jaw member which is pivotedat e to the sliding jaw member, D, and adapted to swing about its pivot for the opposite fixed jaw member, B.

All of the parts are in general, channeled or of channel-form. The main handle memher, A, has the two flanges of its channel C. GUHL, a residing at line 7-7, on

form comprising each a wider part, A and a narrower part, A The fixed jaw member,

fixed handle member at moving its free end inward toward B, is rigidly secured between the ends of the wider flanges, A this securement being effected by means of notches b b and b 5 in the ends and sides respectively oi the two flanges, B B of the jaw member. B, said notches being engaged by lugs struck out and projecting from the rear edges and upper edges respectively, of the flanges. A of the handle member, said lugs, a and a being folded into the notches, Z2 and 79 respectively, and clinched over inside the flanges, B of the jaw member. The sliding jaw member, D, is embraced between the flanges, C C of the lever member, B, and pivotally connected by the pivot, (Z taking through said flanges, C and the flanges, D D of said jaw member. At the opposite end of said sliding jaw member it has on each flange an out-turned lug, o engaging in an oblique slot, a formed in the adjacent flange, A of the handle member, A, the trend of said slots being at a somewhat steeper angle to the upper edge of the flanges, a of the handle member than the chord of the arc of swing of the pivot, d, in the closing-together movement of the handle. This causes the jaw member, D, to have its outer end carried toward the corresponding end of the opposite jaw member, 13, more than. the inner end of the sliding jaw member is carried toward the opposite jaw in the same movement. ihe third jaw memben E, being in channel form as stated, is nested in the channel 01 the sliding jaw member, D, that is, the channel face in the same direction. Saidjaw member, pivotally mounted upon the jaw member, I), is, of coursefearried with it in the sliding mo-vement'of the latter produced by the closingtogether of the handles. But the jaw member, E, is caused to swing about its pivot on the jaw member, 1), for closing toward the opposite jaw member to a greater extent than the jaw member, D, by means of a cam projection, a which struck inwardly from each of the flanges, A of the handle member, A, which projections are engaged by outwardly struck projections, ct, on the ends of the flanges, E of the jaw member, E. "Said projections, e, encountering the projections, a in the inward sliding movement of the jaw members when they are operated by the handles, the co-operating edges of the two projections, c and a being E, being sloped at a steeper angle with respect to the web oi the aw members, D and E, than are the slots, 64 which determine the direct closing movement of the aw, D.

Certain details of the construction require of the jaw these teeth are formed over the whole length of the web of the jaw; but in respect to the jaw, D, they are formed only for short distance from the inner end of the jaw (in the drawings only three such teeth being shown); and throughout the remainder of the web from this point to the outer end, instead of teeth struck from the web, the Web is slotted as seen at 6%, leaving cross bars, 6Z7, between slots; and the jaw, E, has struck from its web, teeth, 6, projecting at right angles to the web and positioned and dimensioned so as to protrude into the slots, 0Z of the jaw, D. The length of these teeth, 6, is designed to be substantially equal to the inward and crushing or jaw-closing movement which is given to the jaw, E, rela-' tively to the jaw, D, by theco-operating cam projections, a and '6 respectively; and at the open position of the device, these teeth, d", are designed to be withdrawn so as to stand flush with the inner face of the. web, D of the jaw, D.

To facilitate assembling of the parts, D, and E, as described, the pivot bearings, e, for the pivots, d are opened to the edge of the flanges, E, by slots, 6 as seen in Figure 6, and the pivots, d struck and folded in from the flanges of the part, D, are oblong rectangular in cross section, their thickness less than their width being admissible through the slots, 6 and the part, E, being turned on. the pivots to its proper rested position in D, the pivots, 6, are set with their width transverse to the slots, 6 and thereby prevented from escaping out through the slots through which they were entered.

It will be understood thatthe purpose of the ratchet teeth is to engage the shell of the nut to be crushed to prevent it from being snapped out between the jawsin the closing movement of crushing; and it will be further understood that the purpose of causing the ends of the jaw members to be bent at an angle to their general extent so as to terminate substantially parallel is to facilitate the engagement between the angles thus formed or the nut to be crushed, these two terminals b n onv e i g w en thei vs heanar lv g h n s? Pre en in h were eles d at the outer end of the of the nut from between them. It is also understood that the purpose of giving the jaw member, E, the closing or crushing movement in addition to that which it would have by virtue of being carried on the jaw member, D, is to increase the engagement jaws with the nuts, and increase the crushing efl' ect without corresponding increase in the amount of approach of the jaws to each other at the inner end,that is, at the end toward pivot.

As a matter of convenience and for added utility of the devices, the flanges of the jaw member, B, are serrated forming sharp teeth as seen at If, at their outer ends, to adapt the device to be used for chopping the meats of the nuts to be cracked.

I claim 1. In a nut cracker or the like, in combination with a handle member having a jaw at the end opposite the handle; a lever handle member fulcrumed on the first men tioned handle member; a second jaw member pivotally connected with the lever handle member for reciprocation of its point of pivotal connection in a path making an acute angle with the first mentioned jaw, and co operating means on the first mentioned handle member and second jaw member for guiding the end of said second jaw member remote from the lever connection in a path at a wider angle to the first mentioned jaw than said acute angle.

2, In a nut cracker or the like, in combination with a handle member having a fixed jaw, a lever handle member fulcrumed on the first mentioned handle member;- a second jaw member pivotally connected'with the lever handle member for sliding on the first mentioned handle member; a third jaw member pivoted to the second jaw member near the pivoted end of the latter, and cooperating means on said third jaw member and the first handle member for causing the end of the third jaw member remote from its pivot to be moved toward the fixed jawby the longitudinal sliding of the second jaw in the first handle member.

3. In the construction defined in claim 1, foregoing, the first handle member having the end opposite the handle of channel form, the second jaw being of channel form, the two parts being mounted with their channels facing each other for the longitudinal sliding action of the jaw on the handle member.

4. In the construction defined in claim 2, foregoing, the second and third jaw membersbeing both of channel form nested one within the other with their channels opening in the same direction, the second jaw having the web of the channel toward the outer end transversely slotted, and the third jaw memf ber having transverse teeth struck out from its web for projecting through said slots.

In theconstruction defined in claim 2,

foregoing, the first handle member having member than the cam slot in the flanges of cam projections struck inward from the the latter. channel flanges, and the third jaw member In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set 10 having co-operating projections struck outmy hand at Chicago, Illinois, this 5th day 5 Ward from its channel flanges. the said proof August, 1921. I

jections of the handle member being at a steeper angle to the Web of said handle AUGUST C. GUI-IL. 

